Garda HQ has to accept it has a problem before it can be f ixed

FOR some reason, this Government does not believe that morale in An Garda Síochána is a priority, even as the rank and file are so at odds with Commissioner Drew Harris that, following a historic, landslide vote of no confidence in their chief, they have for the first time declined to invite him to speak at their annual conference.

This situation is worrying enough but it becomes even more grave when you read the statistics the Irish Mail on Sunday is revealing today, namely that over 6,400 of the 14,000strong force are eligible for retirement over the next five years.

We have already seen numerous officers retire early due to disaffection with pay and conditions, and concerns over a ‘discipline first, ask questions later’ policy from the top brass, so this does not bode well.

There is already so much difficulty attracting recruits, management have had to all but do away with entry-level upper age limits in order to keep the new recruit pipeline flowing into Templemore.

The reality is that with almost 50% of the force eligible to retire, with morale at rock bottom, and with a seeming lack of capacity to maintain numbers in the force, we are facing into a perfect storm that will lead to an effective brain drain both at the top and throughout all ranks.

This crisis is not yet beyond salvation but, like any significant existential threat, it at least requires acknowledgement of its existence. Effectively, Garda management needs to realise that their policies are at the core of this problem and, rightly or wrongly, their job is to ensure a force that can guarantee order on the streets and the safety of the public.

There have been unnecessary impasses created about rosters. There have been questionable deployments of resources that have allowed the likes of the Dublin riot to occur. There has been a failure to prosecute a swathe of arson attacks linked to the far right on proposed migrant accommodation centres across the country and, even more worryingly, an attempt to spin themselves out of criticism of that inertia once the MoS began to highlight it.

Justice is unlike any other government policy area. Statistics can be used to insist that the country is safer than it has ever been. Still, the average citizen is likely much closer to reality on the street than the politician or the Garda manager in the Phoenix Park, and he or she will not be assuaged by empty assurances or faceless statistics.

Tellingly, it is Garda members themselves who are calling for action before this situation becomes intractable. They know, as we do, that something is very wrong in the force, something deep-rooted and serious. This newspaper can report upon it but it is not our job to fix it. We suggest the Garda Commissioner considers whether he is the man best placed to tackle this challenge.

TWO YEARS OF PUTIN’S SAVAGERY

This weekend marks the second anniversary of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia.

In a documentary to be shown on TG4 this week, the family of Achill native Finbar Cafferkey, who was killed in that war, speak for the first time about what his life and death have meant for them.

It is a timely reminder of both the futility of war and the necessary bravery required to face up to despotism. Our thoughts are with the Cafferkey family and all affected by this wretched conflict this weekend.